Rugby Archive

Ben Atiga cuts an impressive dash as he sits down to talk in the Murrayfield hospitality suite.

You would have to travel some distance to catch a performance as bad as the one Edinburgh put in against Saracens last weekend – but the length of the M8 wasn't far enough.

Leaders Ayr bounced back from last week's loss to Currie and put Aberdeen Grammar to the sword at Millbrae yesterday.

MICHAEL Bradley believes the pressure on Edinburgh to win when they visit his native Munster for a make-or-break Pool 1 Heineken Cup match tomorrow can work in their favour.

Glasgow Warriors' Heineken Cup problems have mounted as winger Tommy Seymour was yesterday banned from facing former club Ulster in tonight's crucial match at Scotstoun Stadium.

As Glasgow Warriors seek to regroup after Sunday's Heineken Cup defeat, old soldier Ryan Grant has welcomed the recruitment of an emergency reinforcement in the shape of fellow international prop German Araoz.

Fresh from their victory over a spirited Glasgow Warriors side on Sunday, Northampton Saints are hoping the Scottish side will now help them in their bid to reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup.

As Glasgow Warriors headed home from Northampton last night with nothing to show from a match they should have won, Al Kellock told his men they will have to toughen up if they are to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup this season.

After his case for leading Scotland into action on his next appearance at Murrayfield was massively strengthened on Saturday, Kelly Brown demonstrated the diplomatic skills that may be a considerable asset in the job.

It's not so long since players like Mike Cusack were being put on the rugby red list, a species on the verge of extinction.

Gala made the perfect start to their cup campaign with a deserved win over the English Championship side London Scottish at Netherdale, striking a blow for amateur rugby in the process.

Three Scottish wins out of four contributed to an overall record of 12 wins by Celtic teams in 20 matches against English opposition in last season's Heineken Cup, yet still the old perceptions remain.

Faster, stronger and more comfortable than ever in the elite rugby environment, Stuart Hogg is aiming to "explode" into action as he makes his first start of the season against Northampton Saints tomorrow.

Two days before Edinburgh begin their Heineken Cup campaign against Saracens at Murrayfield, Herald Sport can reveal that the capital club have already angered their English opponents by turning down an unprecedented invitation to play the return match early next year as a one-off glamour fixture in the 55,000 capacity Cape Town Stadium in South Africa.